Optimizing performance through process improvement.

Health care professionals have found traditional problem solving and traditional management have not succeeded in "assuring quality." Organizations are changing the way they do business and are utilizing process improvement methodology to improve performance. Based on important functions, select dimensions of performance for processes are measured, evaluated, redesigned, and improved. Once priorities for improvement activities are determined, improvement projects can be implemented utilizing various process improvement models. The PRIDE (process, relevant, interpret, design, execute) model, designed by the authors, is one approach that can be applied in any setting.